PJ Party

I can't believe it's the end of January and we are just having our first pajama party. Like any other San Francisco January, it's been raining like crazy and I've been wanting to try this french toast casserole recipe on my favorite recipe blog since it was posted in November 2006. So only 14 months later, I did, and it was a success! So yummy! Our pajama party even had a prize for the best bed hair. And if you can't guess from the picture which adorable twin brother and sister won, then you don't know bed hair. Even Jack had a friend at the party. He loved being able to babble and slump on the couch with someone who understands him. Thanks for coming friends, and sorry for posting this pajama picture. But you had to have guessed when you agreed to be in the picture, you were agreeing to appear on the blog--I think we all look excellent! :)

Sac Town

Yesterday, Blake had some meetings up in Sacramento. Usually we don't like when Blake has meetings, since that means he is gone super early and super late; but today we were happy about his meetings--he took us with him! His meeting was from 10 to 4, so I had to fill in 6 hours of time before Blake's surprise evening activity. I found so much that we could do as I was researching the day before, but there was one major problem--rain. It was supposed to rain all day, and most of the things I was finding were outside. So, our day ended up going like this--

After we dropped Blake off, the three of us headed over to the California State Railroad Museum. I couldn't believe how fabulous it was and absolutely perfect for a rainy day. We went straight to the second floor, which had all the model trains and tracks for the kids to play with. And the trains that they couldn't actually touch, had buttons to push to make the trains go. Max was in button heaven. We stayed there and played for 2 hours until Max started getting a little hungry and cranky.

I thought the next activity planned would be perfect. It was Max's nap time, so what would be better than sitting, watching a movie? I even found a dollar theater in the area that was playing "The Bee Movie", got popcorn, rootbeer, and some gummy bears. But, no. Max had found something MUCH better in the lobby of the theater--arcade games, specifically, a driving game. We maybe, MAYBE saw a half hour of the movie before Max fell between the seats and started screaming, "Max drive car!" Oh well, Max had a nice nap sitting in our car for about an hour while we waited for Blake to get done.Once we picked up Blake, there was still about 2 hours before his suprirse activity, so we headed back over to the train museum to show him what we had done all day. This time we stayed on the first floor which had all the big trains. It was so much fun seeing all the different styles of engines and even going on a sleeping and dining car.

Then it was finally time for Blake's surprise activity. I thought for sure it would be something like a King's game, since we've been wanting to do that anyway, but Blake showed how much he truly loves me and planned a very selfless activity. Dinner and a play. And not just any play, "The Sound of Music," my favorite. Dinner was in the lobby of the theater. While we were eating the Director and Theater Manager came around and talked to us. Then, at 8, the play started. We knew Jack would probably be pretty good, but had no idea what to expect from Max. Afterall, it was passed his bedtime, in the theater you can't talk AT ALL or someone shhes you, and he wouldn't even sit through a movie earlier today. But once again, this guy totally shocked us. He sat still, dead silent, for almsot THREE hours, watching the play. We even caught him tapping his foot along with the songs. He loved watching the kids sing and it was hilarious watching him try to peek his head around the lady sitting in front of him when she'd move. With a good Max and Jack, I was able to totally enjoy the show and know again for a certainty that Blake and I WILL go to Austria and we WILL do the "I am 16 going on 17" dance. Lucky Blake. After the play we got to talk with some of the cast and even got our picture taken with Maria. Thank you for letting us visit, Sac Town.

Where is Thumbkin?

If you guessed in Jack's mouth, you are correct! This guy is in the early stages of becoming a thumb sucker. I believe he is currently in Stage 2 of the X Stage Program. (This is my first experience in this program, so if you are more experienced, please fill me in on the stages and signs.) He quickly went through Stage 1, general handsucking, and is now working on only the thumb. He has even been spotted taking the paci out of his mouth with one hand and holding on to it, while trying to shove the thumb of the other hand in his mouth. When people have noticed Jack's new habit, their first question is "How does Blake feel about this?" Of course he's not happy about it, but Jack's biggest critic is definitely Max. He always tells Jack, "No hand in mouth Jack! Only food in mouth." Hmmm...maybe that's why I found a tortilla chip in Jack's mouth the other day.

All Aboard!

Last night, to celebrate our 6th anniversary and the beggining of our family, all four of us went on a dinner cruise aboard the U.S.S. Hornblower. We didn't know quite what to expect, so we dressed for a blizzard, but the weather was quite pleasant. Our table was inside, but we were free to roam about the boat as much as we wanted. Our favorite spot was the moon deck, with fabulous 360 degree views, and even a puddle for Max to splash around in. The cruise went all around the Bay. We started near the Ferry Building, went near the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, up around Sausalito and the North Bay, back under the Golden Gate Bridge, and along the city. We haven't experienced much of San Francisco at night (we're early to bedders) and were, once again, impressed with its beauty. Dinner was decent, but the atmosphere was excellent. All four of us even hit the dance floor. Max was by far the most popular guy aboard, with the band dedicating "Play That Funky Music Max" to him. Our only regrets--not bringing the "good" camera and not having a charged battery for the camera we did bring. So sorry. Lots of fuzzy and no dancing pictures.

6 Years and Counting

One more year has past since that wonderful, wonderfully freezing cold day. I really don't remember much that was said during our sealing, but I do remember the sealer telling us that we may think we love each other more than we could ever imagine, but really, on the scale of love (okay, you must have guessed that I'm paraphrasing in my own words, but I wanted to make sure there was no question) our love didn't even reach an inch. And that our little seed of love would just keep growing and growing. And I have to admit that he was absolutely right. It's amazing to me how much more I love Blake than I did six years ago, and how much more I'm going to love him six or sixty years from now! Our love has grown through so many wonderful (and not so wonderful) experiences. Of course, the most wonderful experience has been starting our family. We love Max and Jack so much and our love for each other has grown because of them. We also owe a lot to our family and friends. Look at all those smiling faces in the freezing cold. (Don't worry--they ran right inside after this picture was taken--well, except some parent picture-takers.) Their examples, love, and support have blessed our marriage and our family. Okay, this post is turning a little too corny for my taste. I love you Blake--thanks for marrying me!

Picnic Perfect

Have I mentioned that we LOVE San Francisco? We had a fun-filled morning of gymnastics, grocery shopping, and then ended up at the park with friends. It is such a beautiful day today, we were having a hard time leaving, until I got a surprise phone call on my cell from my own home. Blake was home wondering where we were. We hurried home to see him and when we got there, he had packed a picnic for us. We went down to Chrissy Field to enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather and some peanut butter sandwiches. I love these San Francisco days. And if anyone is so jealous they can't stand it, this IS a three-day weekend, and our futon and blow-up mattress do have vacancies.

Jack is 3 Months Old

Today Jack is 3 months old and he is still the sweet little baby we brought home from the hospital. He loves reading books. His favorites are "Goodnight Moon" and "A Picnic With Monet." He also likes singing songs, especially "Where is Thumbkin" and "Patty Cake." He is amazingly good at doing the actions to both and laughs every time we "throw it in the oven." He is constantly smiling and giggling. An almost-sure bet to get him to laugh is to give him a raspberry on his tummy. I think the reason Jack knows how to have so much fun is that he also knows how to get his rest. The past two nights, this little guy has eaten at 8, gone to bed at 9, and hasn't woke up again until 8 in the morning to eat. And I can already tell that Jack loves his family as much as we love him. He loves playing "peek-a-boo" with Max (and he has even started to not flinch as much when Max gets near him), having tummy-time with Daddy, and cuddling with Mommy.
For Jack's 3-month celebration, we went to Chuck E. Cheese. Jack loved his first experience there and even went on a ride with Max and Chuck E. before drifting off to sleep in his car seat. Max, on the other hand, was ready to go. He went on so many rides, ate so much pizza, and went down the slide a gazillion times. He is becoming a champion skee-baller. He even won enough tickets to buy himself some bubbles. Success.

And, in case you were wondering if Jack looks anything like Max did, here are the pictures. You be the judge.
Jack--Max--

My Little Gymnast

Today was Max's first day of gymnastics. I am so excited that Max gets to do this for so many reasons. Here are a few--1) It's rainy season, we NEED somewhere to get out (but stay inside) and do something to get energy out. 2) Blake no longer has Tuesdays to spend with us, so now we have something to look forward to each week. (I guess Blake wants us to have a roof over our heads and food to eat while he's in school.) 3) I think Max needs more structured activities in his life. I peeked in on him in nursery a few weeks ago and all the kids were sitting down singing and Max was running around in circles behind them. 4) We get to spend time with our friends. Five of Max's friends are in the same class! 5) I was denied the opportunity to become an Olympic gymnast when I was young, and I don't want to do the same thing to Max. (My mom told me I was too tall and didn't start early enough. I have the most depressing journal entry about it, with a tear stain on the page. I wanted to be Kim Zmeskal so badly! And by the way, it's okay Mom, I forgive you.) So, here's the set up. Once we arrived, Max was free to roam about and play on all the equipment. In addition to the regular gymnastics equipment (bars, vault, rings, etc. which are set up as a "safe environment" with lots of padding so kids can explore them) there are also slides, tunnels, trampolines, and LOTS of pads for the kids to climb on, jump off of, balance on, crawl through, hang over, and have fun on. Parents are in charge of their own child, and lucky Baby Jack either has to sit on the side in his car seat (hopefully sleeping, which is what he did today) or be bjourned. To mark the beginning of class we have parachute time. This is the structured part. Today the parents made waves with the parachute and the kids could run and jump in the middle. Max was in parachute heaven. He was running around like a mad man, jumping then falling down. Then we did stretches. Max touched his toes, straddled his legs, made a table (like a crab walk) and reached his hands high in the air. Then it was back to playing, whatever you want. Max ran straight for the slide and after going down once, he spotted the play kitchen set on the side for siblings who aren't in the class. He yelled "microwave!" and took off. I was a little worried that maybe gymnastics wasn't right for him. Like Jennie said, "I don't know why I'd pay for gymnastics when I can go play with the kitchen in the nursery at church for free." But don't worry. As soon as Max got all his button pushing out of the way, he was back on the equipment. He loved hanging on the bars, going down the slide, going through the tunnel, and especially jumping off EVERYTHING. At the end of class we did the parachute again. This time, the kids all sat in the middle and the parents ran in circles doing "Motor boat." We can't wait for next week. I know these are kind of stinky pictures, but I was having so much fun playing with Max, I forgot to take more. But don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty to come!

Pez Museum

Most people don't know this about me; in fact, I would say only my family and best friend since 7th grade know this about me--I have a Pez collection. Yes, I love Pez. It started out as a love for those tasty little pellets, and turned into a collection of dispensers. In addition to the typical dispensers related to movies and holidays, I also have a dispenser from the 1960's and some from Mexico from the early 1980's, both still in their packages (I believe that makes them more valuable). So, you can imagine how excited I was when we were looking for something to do today and saw that entrance to the Burlingame Pez Museum was free on the first Thursday of the month. I can't believe I've lived here for FIVE years and didn't know about the Pez museum! I do have to admit, however, that my Pez passion has slightly decreased since moving to San Francisco--I don't have a place to store extra toilet paper, let alone Pez dispensers. Now my love has basically gone back to its roots--I eat those yummy little candies as quickly as possible. Anyway, I still had to go check it out. As we pulled up, we had to chuckle. The museum didn't look like much of a museum at all--just a little hole-in-the-wall store. The "museum" turned out to be two small rooms. One room, the gift shop, the other, the museum. We walked in and our tour guide started the official tour. We learned that Pez originated in Austria and are actually still only manufactured there today. The first pez were peppermint flavored, and the word "pez" comes from the German word for peppermint. So interesting. The museum even housed the largest Pez dispenser in the world! Max was so excited that it was Frosty the Snowman! We even decided to give Max his first exposure to Pez. He chose a big rig dispenser and quickly became a pro at dispensing and eating as quickly as possible. I was a proud mother.
The plan for the rest of the day was to go down along the bay and watch the airplanes coming and going from the San Francisco airport. That plan quickly took a back-seat when we arrived at our location only to see 100s of birds. Max chased them around yelling, "FLY AWAY!" until it started raining. After that we went to Elephant Bar for lunch. Our first time there. Blake and I liked it, but Max LOVED it. Either that or he was super hungry. I've never seen him eat so much in my life. He was asking for more zucchini, rice, and chicken faster than we could shove it in his mouth. Chalk up a point for Burlingame!

Happy New Year!

We definitely had a very exciting time ringing in the New Year. We picked Blake up from work and headed down south to utilize one of our Christmas gift cards at Chili's. YUM! We got home close to 7:30 and that's when the real party began. Actually, that's what Max now calls the confetti shooters we were using--"parties." We shot all 12 "parties" in record time. Max loved them.
And I thought the loud bang would scare little Jack, but it did just the opposite. He actually would laugh after each bang.
And that was the end of our party. Max went straight to bed and Blake and I started watching the 6th season of 24. We were so into it, we didn't even notice when midnight had arrived. Afterall, in 24 land it was really 1 pm.

We can't wait to see what new adventures 2008 brings us. More schooling for Blake, visitors and vacations, maybe some new cousins, and hopefully some family living close by. No pressure anyone...

And HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BLOG!